Porsche is celebrating its 70 anniversary this year. This is a very good reason for the organization of InterClassics Brussels to put “70 years Porsche 356 as the theme. In collaboration with Porsche Classic Club Belgium and Porsche Center Brussels, an exceptional collection of copies of the Porsche 16 will be presented at the Brussels Expo from 18 to 2018 November 356.
One of the cars from the exceptional 356 collection is the 'Gmünd' Coupe. This car was the first of 15 Gmünd Coupés, intended for export. On 15 June 1950 won the well-known Swedish Rally driver Cecilia Koskull with this Porsche the Midnattsolsrallyt, the first international victory for Porsche. After a stay of 34 years on a Swedish farm, the car ended up in the United States. In 1998 the car was restored by "Made by Hand Inc." in Florida. Today the car is owned by a Belgian private collector.
Porsche 356 SL (year of construction 1951)
Between 1948 and 1950, Porsche built 44 type 356 / 2 coupes in Gmünd, Austria. Thanks to the aluminum carriage, the excellent aerodynamic efficiency and high torsional rigidity, the light-alloy compartments were ideal for competitions. The 356 / 2 coupes weigh around 120 kilograms less than the 356. They were built by Reutter in Stuttgart from April 1950. They are the first German sports cars with the initials 'SL', the abbreviation for 'Super Light'.
Record breaker
With this SL, Porsche starts in 1951 for the first time in 1951 at the 24 hour of Le Mans. The 356 SL promptly wins the class of 1100 cc and redraws it in 1952. In September 1951, an 356 SL with an 1,5-liter engine at the Montlhéry circuit near Paris achieves a world record. There is a distance of almost 11.000 kilometers in 72 hours with the Porsche. Internationally, the 356 SL remains competitive to 1955. The car is owned by the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart and can be admired during the fair. A total of ten unique cars will be presented on the theme square '70 years Porsche 356'. The organization works closely with the Porsche Classic Club Belgium, Porsche Center Brussels, State of Art and Porsche Center Gelderland.
60 Years World Expo
In addition to the theme '70 years Porsche 356', full attention is paid to the main theme of the '60 Years World Expo / Cars of 58' fair. Sixty years ago the world exhibition took place at the Heysel in Brussels under the name 'Expo 58'. It is without a doubt one of the most important events in the post-war history of Belgium. The exhibition opened by King Baudouin was visited by 42 million people. The most important exponent of Expo 58 is undoubtedly the Atomium; nine giant spheres that together represent an 165 billion times magnified iron crystal.
Unique vehicles from the street scene of 1958
Sixty years later, InterClassics Brussels returns to this Expo 58. This anniversary is celebrated with a special exhibition in Brussels. To strengthen the image of the time, a unique collection of approximately 20 vehicles from the street scene of the year 1958 is presented. This is done in collaboration with the Belgian Federation for Old Vehicles (BFOV). You can think of a Peugeot 203, an Opel Olympia Rekord P, a Lancia Aurelia Convertible, a Jaguar Mark VIII (MK8) and a Renault Alpine A106.
More Info
InterClassics Brussels takes place from Friday 16 to Sunday 18 November 2018 in the 5 palace, 6, 7 and 9 of Brussels Expo. The traditional car fair traditionally attracts many buyers and enthusiasts. Entrance tickets can be purchased online with a discount. The online price for adults is € 12,50. Whoever buys a ticket at the ticket office pays € 15,00. On the other hand, children up to 12 can enter for free. More information about the exhibition can be found on the website of the event.
We have enclosed four photos, you will find the images at the end of the text.
It would be horribly nice if images of the aforementioned 356s were added. A real loss, too bad!